Rodney J Owen
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Real Change...Now

5/31/2020

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"The law perverted! The Law--and, in its wake, all the collective forces of the nation--the law, I say, not only diverted from its proper direction, but made to pursue one entirely contrary! The law become the tool of every kind of avarice, instead of being its check! The law guilty of that very inequity which it was its mission to punish! Truly this is a serious fact, if it exists, and one to which I feel bound to call the attention of my fellow citizens....
    Thus, as the force of an individual cannot lawfully touch the person, the liberty, or the property of another individual--for the same reason, the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes.
    For this perversion of force would be, in one case as in the other, in contradiction to our premises. For who will dare to say that force has been given to us, not to defend our rights, but to annihilate the equal rights of our brethren?"
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, 1850.
(all punctuation his)


As I was thinking about writing this post I remembered an entry from earlier this year, right after New Years and way before COVID.  In that post I expressed concern about the mental health of the planet.  Without belaboring the obvious, I had no idea what was yet to come.  So I will get that much out of the way right now.  Who the hell knows what the rest of this year will look like?

As I write this our country burns and Coronavirus seems like an afterthought.  Of course Coronavirus is not an afterthought, but just the same our country burns with good reason.  On all levels, city, county, state, and federal government has had ample opportunity to address the systemic racism and double standard of our law enforcement agencies.  On the other hand, considering who has been at the helm for the past 3+ years it's all quite understandable.  One can't be expected to lead others if one has his own head stuck too far up the wrong end.  Saying we have a leadership void in this country is not only an understatement, it is a 911 call.

I don't want protesters to vandalize and I certainly don't want anyone else to get hurt.  But we have to see that protesters are not bad people looking for an opportunity to act out.  They are the result of neglect, mismanagement, and tyranny.  It is foolish to expect people to continue to go along with this situation.  Enough is enough.  One obvious solution is to ensure government employees are not immune to the law, even and especially those tasked with enforcing our laws. 

In the meantime, COVID-19 is still on the prowl.  We are reopening our economies, as we should, but with varying degrees of caution and restraint.  Of course those protesting have thrown social distancing to the wind.  That along with so many others disregarding medical concern and advice increases the risk of a resurgence.  But what to do?  It is extremely unlikely we will have lockdowns again, and cures and vaccines are still far on the horizon.  We are going to have to live, and possibly die, with COVID-19.  That is a fact of life till this changes.

So, typically, I don't know what to do other than what I always do.  I will end this with a quote from that naive post I wrote in January:  "
In the meantime, I believe we can empower ourselves and be conduits of change by example.  We can live in alternative community, right here among the insanity.  Not brick and mortar communities of separation, but communities of ideas, ideals, and living examples of peace and harmony even if said community only exists in the recesses of our minds, exemplified through our actions."   Be the peace you want to see, but never stop demanding justice for all.

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Foundations

5/25/2020

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The key to engaged living is having a strong foundation.  Building one's foundation takes time, patience, and effort, also known as sadhana (intense, regular disciplined practice; progressing towards one's ultimate expression of being).  A key element of Zen-Budo practice is Shugyo, interpreted as intense training.  In a traditional sense Shugyo refers to a warrior or monk leaving the comfort and security of his/her family/village/zendo/dojo and venturing out to test his/her grounding in the world beyond.  Contemporarily, Shugyo is often considered synonymous with sadhana.  In the context of Daishin Zen-Budo, sadhana is dedicated, routine practice and Shugyo is a more intense version of this, perhaps sesshin (intense zazen meditation practice), or randori (freestyle martial practice), typically training to near the point of exhaustion.  The distinction is important.  Sadhana is regular, typically daily, practice.  Shugyo is intense, not daily practice, but still considered on a regular basis in order to test one's limits and increase one's skill.  Sadhana is the building of the foundation, Shugyo is pushing and testing the limits of the foundation.

In order to practice in the manner of Shugyo, one needs a strong, stable foundation.  This is typically established through the regular practice of yoga (procedures used to strengthen and purify the physical body, clarify and nurture the energy body, and reveal and increase awareness of the spiritual body).  Keep in mind, the term yoga is used here in the broadest, traditional sense.  The yogi will train the body/mind on a regular basis, sometimes in retreat, often as part of a daily routine.  A complete yoga practice may include aspects of Aryuveda, Qigong, yoga-asana, pranayama, Tantra, and of course, meditation.  Needless to say, yoga practice is sufficient in and of itself to condition and fortify the practitioner without any other practices.  For the Zen-Budo practitioner it is typically a component of training that also includes Zazen, martial arts, Zen lifestyle routines, and perhaps artistic expression (music, poetry, sculpture, calligraphy).

In this current period of quarantine and lockdown, social distancing, and virtual sangha, most practitioners are prevented from or at least limited in group practices typical of Shugyo intensity.  Therefore the time is ripe for yoga.  This is the time to build one's foundation, keeping in mind it may be tested unexpectedly through the many challenges, physical and/or economic that we all face in this environment.  One doesn't need to sit in sesshin or spar with a partner to be challenged.  Coronavirus and economic upset are enough.

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A Return to Zero

5/7/2020

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In Mind Training, we work to remove all that isn't essential, the things we use to identify ourselves, others, the world, mental addictions, obsessions, attachments.  It is what Sri Ramana Maharshi identifies as "neti, neti".  Not this, not this.  In the process we strip down apparent reality to the absolute essentials.  We are left with nothing but the void, our breath, the moment.  All else is window dressing.  This is tough training and is just not for everyone.  Not everyone is ready for it, most are simply not interested.  As Morpheus said, "most of these people are not ready to be unplugged.  And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it."  Further, many who think they are ready for intense training later find out they aren't.  We grow accustomed to our attachments, our ego dressings, our illusions.  It may just be easier to live with them, even knowing they are illusion.
 
Enter COVID-19.  In the current situation, many of us are engaged in an involuntary version of Mind Training.  Take away your job, your dojo, your gym, your favorite bar, the give-and-take of social interaction and then who are you?  I am sure for many this situation is unsettling just for that reason, though they may not realize it.  For those who are interested, this is a perfect opportunity for deep reflection to some degree.  In fact, I think it can be healthy in this situation, because as we come out of lockdown we will not be going back to the world we left.  The external things we once trusted for impression management and social support may no longer be options, and will at least be very different.

There are lots of thoughts and ideas being shared right now, some postulating about the strange new world.  One thing we know at this point (early May, 2020): we don't know anything.  We will be working with a clean slate to create this new world that will be socially-restricted and economically deficient, at least for some time.  All the better if we approach it with open minds and no-limit attitudes.


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